Animotion Film Festival 2022 | Interview with Lorenzo Ciani

The fifth edition of Animotion Film Festival 2022 was held on 12 July 2022 at the Nana Bianca Auditorium in Piazza del Cestello, Florence, Italy. Founded in 2018, Animotion is a competitive film festival dedicated to 2D-3D Animation and Stop Motion Films. It gives space to individual authors, animation schools and productions from all over the world to showcase their works.

As part of a media partnership, we have interviewed Lorenzo Ciani, Florentine entrepreneur and Founder of Animotion Film Festival. In this interview, Lorenzo shares on how much the festival has grown, what went on during the event and as well as his future hopes for the animation industry.

• As this is the 5th edition of Animotion Film Festival, how much of the festival has changed since its first launch in 2018?

The last edition of the festival allowed us to select more works in competition, thanks to the new location. We were very happy to be able to give free access to the event for our audience thanks to the support of TATE. We were surprised by the diversity of this edition's audience. We had spectators of all ages. This confirms that animation cinema is not to be considered an exclusive for an audience of children, but even more so, for an audience that is also more mature and aware, constantly looking for new stimuli and new visual experiences. This edition confirmed that the choice of a new location, of an updated format, was a compelling choice. We risked a lot but we were rewarded by the smiles and applause of the public in Florence.

• Were there any interesting or memorable situations that happened at this year’s event?

We had the honor of screening the feature film "OPAL" by director Alan Bidard. Winner of the Best Film Award. The audience was excited and enthralled throughout the screening. The film dealt with the theme of family abuse. The great work done by the producers of the film made it possible to create a non-trivial film that indirectly managed to strike the sensitivity of us spectators and organizers. Telling topics of this kind is always risky. We were proud to have brought this incredible film to our festival. The technique of the film allowed a great involvement from the public. Almost convinced at a certain point that he identified himself in the story so much, that it was no longer a cartoon but a film with actors in the flesh.

• What kind of innovative techniques or technologies were seen at the festival? 

The novelty of this edition was to use 3 screens for projections. Ensuring viewers a greater and total involvement while watching the films. The new technologies of the renovated location, with a state-of-the-art lighting and sound system have allowed us to make the most of the films selected for screening. It is never obvious to find a location with a prepared direction and always ready to respond to the needs of the public and the organizers. This places us among one of the excellences of film festivals of our genre.

• Why is it important that a space is given to recognise 2D, 3D animation and stop motion films? What is the role that festivals such as Animotion play in this context?

Our festival allows authors of the most diverse animation techniques to have a stage of excellence. Whether it is animation schools or major international productions. Each author uses different techniques in order to enhance the story he wants to tell. We are surprised every year by the variety of stories that are proposed and how with more techniques, the directors always manage to create original and impactful things.

Now with the new technologies the level between independent and more established productions is getting closer and closer. The technology and the commitment of the creative teams make the real difference between a successful product and a poor one.

• What do you hope to see from the animation and film industry in the next few years?

There will always be a greater raising of the level of graphic techniques. With an absolute level of hyper-realism, which will hardly allow us to distinguish an actor in flesh and blood from one made digitally. Platforms such as Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ each have increasingly focused on animation. This allows thousands of people to work and to expand the basin of the animation cinema industry. Animation allows you to tell and show ever new worlds with less waste of resources and materials.

Lorenzo Ciani
 Florentine Entrepreneur and Founder of Animotion Film Festival

For more information regarding the festival visit: www.animotionfilmfest.com/

ASEF culture360 is delighted to be the Media Partner of Animotion Film Festival 2022. For more updates on culture360 Media Partnerships events follow us on Instagram.